(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to Air Conditioning and Refrigeration systems, in particular the refrigerant-condensing-radiator part of the typical residential or commercial air conditioning system. The invention, particularly relates to the more effective method and direct water-evaporative-cooling the refrigerant-condensing-radiator, reducing the compressor power consumption, enhancing the energy efficiency ratio (EER), reducing the load on the electrical grid in turn reducing carbon emissions.
(2) Background of the Invention
All conventional air-conditioning or refrigerating facilities to remove the latent-heat energy from the refrigerant-condensing-radiator, use a forced-air heat-exchange process. The refrigerant-evaporation process inside the cooled space absorbs heat-energy from the cooled space and the heat-energy being expelled from the refrigerant-condensing-radiator outside the cooled space via the forced-air heat-exchange process is in fact the heat-energy being removed from the cooled space via refrigerant-evaporation process part of the air conditioning system. In common practice heat exchange using a forced-air-cooled condensing-radiator, and sometimes water-cooled heat-exchange process to dispose of the heat energy removed from the refrigerant-condensing-radiator is found in use today. The power consumed by the refrigerant-compressor prior to the refrigerant-condensing-radiator is directly affected by the efficiency of the cooling process used to cool the refrigerant-condensing-radiator. The efficiency of cooling the refrigerant-condensing part of the refrigeration system is what sets the “energy efficiency ratio” (EER) value of the air-conditioner or any type of refrigeration system.
Conventionally, a fan driven by an electric motor is used to draw air through the refrigerant-condensing-radiator to facilitate the refrigerant cooling and condensing process. In fact there are many drawbacks to an air-cooled condensing radiator causing substantial inefficiencies due to the fact that to adequately remove all the latent-heat energy via air-cooling, it would take a very large radiator, motor and fan wasting even more electrical energy. The compressor prior to the condensing-radiator is the largest consumer of electrical energy in the refrigeration system and the amount of electrical energy it uses is directly affected by the efficiency of cooling the refrigerant-condensing-radiator. There are two ways or a combination of both ways to force the condensing of the refrigerant from a gas to a liquid, one is to cool it to below the dew point and the second is to compress it thus raising the dew point allowing it to condense at a higher temperature, the latter being the case currently used in most or all refrigeration systems. The problem with compressing the refrigerant vapor to force condensation rather than to cool it adequately, is that as the pressure rises, the compressor draws proportionately more electrical energy reducing efficiency giving a poorer EER rating. The cooler the refrigerant vapor the lower the pressure required for the compressor to achieve condensation and the less electrical energy used, thus improving the EER rating!
There have been a number of solutions to provide a better cooling mechanism for the radiator module by a means of water-cooled mechanisms without using the forced air mechanism. For example, the following patents are herein incorporated by reference for their supportive teachings on swamp coolers or evaporative coolers:
U.S. Pat. No. 5,377,500 A relates to a water cooled air conditioner which comprises a compressor, an evaporator, a cooling fan, a low pressure pipe, a high pressure pipe, a radiator, a cooling motor, and a condenser. The apparatus is characterized in that the heat exchanging efficiency between the cooling water and the refrigerant is highly enhanced thereby intensifying the cooling effect and increasing the temperature of the cooling water flowing out of the apparatus to an acceptable degree for use as residential hot water. Further, the heated water from the radiator may be sprayed on to the external surface of the radiator to provide evaporative cooling thereof.
WO 2013104343 A1 describes a water-cooling radiator for electronic devices, in particular a water-cooling radiator for dissipating heat produced by computer devices, such as servers, network devices, and PCs. Disposed inside of a protective shell are a water-cooling board, a water storage chamber, a water pump, water pipes, a radiating water tank, water-absorbing sponges, fans, and a temperature-controlling rotation-speed adjuster. Spaces between different components are filled with water-absorbing sponges, and the sponges can absorb the cooling water leaked out of the water-cooling radiator in a timely manner. The temperature-controlling rotation-speed adjuster is used for adjusting the rotation speeds of the fans and the water pump. The water-cooling radiator is easy to install and is waterproof to a certain degree.
US 20140174710 A1 describes a water-cooling radiator includes a cooling module, a control circuit, a temperature sensor, and a display. The temperature sensor is used to sense an instant temperature of a heat generating device and output the instant temperature of the control circuit. The control circuit outputs a voltage of the cooling module corresponding to the instant temperature received from the temperature sensor. The control circuit compares the instant temperature with a preset temperature. When the instant temperature is higher than the preset temperature, the control circuit increases the voltage outputted to the cooling module to reduce the instant temperature of the heat generating device. When the instant temperature is lower than the preset temperature, the control circuit reduces the voltage outputted to the cooling module.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,121,610, by Atkinson et. al., issued Jun. 16, 1992, teaches of an air cycle air conditioner for heating and cooling including a compressor, turbine, heat exchanger and high speed electric motor that are thermostatically controlled to supply either hot or cold conditioned air to an air space.
Swamp coolers are well known in arid environments. For example, a swamp cooler will drip water along a material and blow air over it toward the place to be cooled. The evaporating water will cool the air due to the heat absorbed that is used in the evaporative process.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,443,387, by Gordon, issued Apr. 17, 1984, teaches of an evaporative cooling device and process for cooling large areas.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,479,366, by Lanier et al., issued Oct. 30, 1984, teaches of evaporative cooler.
The aforesaid documents and other similar solutions may strive to provide a condensing radiator with a special coil pipe to increase the heat exchanging efficiency, thereby increasing the cooling effect and the temperature of the cooling water flowing out of the apparatus to an acceptable degree; however, they still have a number of limitations and shortcomings such as, but not limited to, a condensing radiator having a plastic pipe with a plurality of small holes for a streamlined water drop which is suitable for applications to air-cooling and water-membrane evaporation type refrigerating and air-conditioning facility, so air force can pass through the entire surface of the pipe wall along the streamline, to increase air flow speed, increasing heat cycle evaporation and radiation. The above mentioned prior arts can only perform certain aspects say for example, provides a system which is absorbing a nominal amount of potential heat during evaporation process, significantly reducing refrigerant temperature with nominal carbon emission, sufficiently developing evaporation type cooling effects.
The aforesaid documents and other similar solutions may strive to provide a condensing radiator with increased heat exchanging efficiency using varied methods air and water cooling of the condensing-radiator, but limited to the high cost of the aforesaid solutions and the simple and basic fact the air-cooling and water-cooling have considerable limitations.
Air-cooling limitations are related to the fact that the refrigerant-condensing-radiator can't be cooled to below the air temperature (ambient air temperature) of the air being used to cool it, therefore when the ambient air temperature rises, the cooling efficiency is reduced.
Water-cooling using a water-refrigerant heat-exchanger, is effective only if there is a very large supply of cold water available to do the cooling (a large lake etc.), and adequate cold water supply is rarely available, also making this solution impractical.
Accordingly, there remains a need in the prior art to have an improved and low cost water-evaporative-cooled condensing-radiator system which provides a controller to monitor the compressor power consumption and control the water flowing to the refrigerant-condensing-radiator in the refrigerant-condensing process efficiently reducing the consumption of power, therefore overcoming the aforesaid problem and shortcomings